Okanagan Wine Festival Turns 24 next Week

1, and will run through the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. In all, 167 events are planned across the valley offering, as they say, something for everyone.

The entire roster of events is available at the unwieldy URL of: http://www.owfs.com/cgi-sys/suite/calendar/calendar.cgi but I've made a short list of some of the more interesting happenings.

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards (Road #7, Oliver) will open the festival Friday with a 10th Anniversary Dinner orchestrated by Manuel Ferreira, owner/chef of Vancouver's Le Gavroche Restaurant. The gathering will feature the release of Tinhorn and winemaker Sandra Oldfield's first reserve offering Oldfield Collection Merlot 2001. Tickets are $75. Call 250-498-3743 or 888-484-6467 or e-mail: winery@tinhorn.com.

The same night a less formal South Okanagan Clambake takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Penticton Lakeside Resort (21 Lakeshore Drive West, Penticton). Expect clams, mussels, oysters and salmon steamed over seaweed and river rock and served with the wines of Sumac Ridge. Tickets are $41.73. Call the Penticton Lakeside at 250-493-8221.

Saturday, Oct. 2, you can sample Canadian Wine & Cheese paired with Mission Hill wine at one of four sessions: 10 a.m., 12, 2 and 4 p.m. It all takes place at Mission Hill Family Estate (1730 Mission Hill Rd, Westbank). Tickets are $35 and can be reserved by calling 250-768-6448.

The same day, from 12 until 4 p.m., the Dog Days of Summer invites dog owners (and Rover) to Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards (Okanagan Falls) to enjoy an afternoon of wine tasting as the winery "unleashes" its latest vintage of See You Later Ranch reserve wines. The tasting, and fun day with your dog, is free.

Among the more unusual events is the Midnight Service at Blasted Church, Oct. 8 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. (378 Parsons Rd., Okanagan Falls). Ticket holders congregate at Blasted Church Vineyards (right after the Friday's Penticton Grand Tasting event) for a night of "divine delectables, sinful wines and live, 'raise the roof' gospel music from The Gospel Experience choir." There will be no tickets at the gate. The price is $70; order at 250-497-1125.

The Thanksgiving weekend kicks off Oct. 8 with a Wine Capital Winery Crawl in Oliver. Attendees assemble at 6 p.m. at the Toasted Oak Wine Bar & Grill (34881 -- 97th St., Oliver) before heading out for a progressive dinner (by shuttle bus) to some of the wine capital of Canada's most famous wineries: Fairview Cellars, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, Domaine Combret and Silver Sage Winery. For more info call 250-498-4867 or e-mail organizers at info@winecountry-canada.com .

Finally, there's A Traditional Salmon Feast, Sunday Oct. 10 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Nk'Mip Cellars (1400 Rancher Creek Road, Osoyoos). The afternoon luncheon pairs Nk'Mip wines with traditional aboriginal cuisine, arts and entertainment. Reservations are a must and you are asked to dress appropriately to be out-of-doors. Tickets are $57.25; call 250-495-2985 or e-mail: dinora.tilson@nkmip.ca

Today we tip our hat to the festival by featuring a number of highly rated B.C. labels sold at the winery or in VQA wine shops. Top-rated B.C. wines that do not bear the VQA sticker may be available in the traditional private wine shops such as Liberty Wine Merchants, Marquis Wine Cellars, Broadway International Wines, and Dundarave Wine Cellars. Enjoy.

The Tinhorn Creek Oldfield's Collection Merlot (Stelvin) 2001 will make its debut in a two-pack: one bottle finished with a screw cap and one closed with a traditional cork. It's still early days for Tinhorn's first ever reserve but after a little more than one year the screw cap edition appears spicier and a bit fruitier when compared its cork finished sibling. Look for coffee, smoky oak, vanilla, peppery, black olive, clove and black cherry flavours. Dry, but well balanced, and will improve in the bottle.

The Jackson-Triggs Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz Proprietors' Grand Reserve 2002 is an exciting addition to B.C. wine. The warm year and the addition of 40 per cent shiraz appears to be the perfect tonic for impossible to ripen B.C. cabernet. Look for typical JT smoky, oaky, cassis and blackberry notes on the nose streaked with peppery, clove and vanilla and saddle leather. It is very Oz-like. Its peppery, black berry, cherry, vanilla flavours finish with smoky, green bean, roasted pepper notes.

One of the best value wines in the province is the Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Grigio Reserve 2003. I love its bright lime rind, smoky, peach, mineral and green apple aromas and flavours and the slightly smoky, butter finish. Good acidity, intensity and balance. This is a winner you should buy by the case.

The new CedarCreek Pinot Noir Platinum Reserve 2002 remains a provincial star with its black cherry, exotic orange peel and strawberry rhubarb pie aromas. It's a dry, round classy pinot that is yet another improvement from prior vintages. Give this a year or two to really shine.

Pure fun best describes the Lake Breeze Ehrenfelser 2003 from Naramata Bench. It's a bit like a Pfalz wine from 2003. Look for a floral, honey, spicy, peach orange peel nose with ripe, lively mineral, peach and honey flavours. A fine pre-dinner sipper or serve with spicy Indian food.

Our final pick is the Black Hills Alibi Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon 2003. Alibi is by far the best wine to come out of Black Hills. Owner/winemaker Senka Tennant spent time with famed Loire Valley grower and sauvignon specialist Didier Dagueneau and it shows in this 85/15 blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon. It jumps out of the glass offering super clean, grassy, citrus, honey, vanilla, green apple fruit aromas and flavours with an underlying mineral and clover quality. It's ripe, round and rich with fine acidity and elegance. Drink now or hold for another year or two. Bravo.

Weekend Wine Tasting: Touring the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Wine   Tinhorn Creek Oldfield's Collection Merlot (Stelvin) 2001, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Price   $28.00*
UPC    624802011127
Score  89/100
Remarks        Coffee, smoky vanilla, black olive, clove and black cherry flavours.

Wine   Jackson-Triggs Cabernet Sauvignon - Shiraz Proprietors' Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - Shiraz 2002, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Price   $25.95*
UPC    063657005378
Score  90/100
Remarks        Down Under style spicy, black berry, cherry, vanilla flavours.

Wine   Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Grigio Reserve 2003, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Price   $14.99
UPC    620654011094
Score  90/100
Remarks        Baked pear, green apple skin, lime and apricot flavours all in balance. Buy by the case.

Wine   CedarCreek Pinot Noir Platinum Reserve 2002, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Price   $34.99*
UPC    778913062520
Score  90/100
Remarks        Smoky, vanilla, black cherry and licorice.

Wine   Lake Breeze Ehrenfelser 2003 Naramata Bench
Price   $13.90*
UPC    626990003045
Score  88/100
Remarks        Floral, honey, spicy, peach orange peel nose and flavours.

Wine   Black Hills Alibi Sauvignon Blanc - Sémillon 2003
Price   $23.90*
UPC    833665003037
Score  91/100
Remarks        Green apple, honey, flinty, chalky, grapefruit flavours with a touch of fig and vanilla.

* Winery, VQA Wine Stores, Private Wine Shops